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The Boleyn Bride
From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history's most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own. . .
At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne—while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne. . .
When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances—and catches the lusty king's eye. But those who enjoy Henry's fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband's machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one—and the Boleyn family's fortune may be turning. . .
At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne—while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne. . .
When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances—and catches the lusty king's eye. But those who enjoy Henry's fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband's machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one—and the Boleyn family's fortune may be turning. . .
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 3, 2014
I would give this no stars if I could.
I read so much bad YA fiction with terrible writing that I had completely forgotten how ferociously atrocious adult books can be.
The writing in this book is criminally bad. Appalling. I wonder how the fuck this book even got through an editor, or whether it has actually been skimmed by an editor at all. As readers, we often complain about purple prose, the prose in this book isn't so much purple as it is a violent, putrescent, vomit-inducing shade of fuchsia.
The main character is a bitch, a raging, narcissistic harpy of the highest order. Her pee should be bottled in Swarovski decanters and sold within the Hermès boutique in Paris. Her shit smells like the kiss of early morning dewdrops upon the buds of all the lavenders of Grasse in springtime.
This book is set in English Tudor era, it is the story of Elizabeth Boleyn, THE Anne Boleyn's mother. You might be fooled into thinking this is historical fiction, the compelling story of the mother of one of England's most memorable queens.
You'd be wrong. This book is roughly the equivalent of a Tudor Toddlers and Tiaras.
For those who are unfamiliar with US reality shows, Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality show about kids who participate in child pageants. More accurately, it's a portrait of parental failure. These pageant moms aren't...motherly so much as they are horrible bitchy, shallow harpies vicariously reliving their youth and casting their failed hope and dreams onto their daughters.
In a sentence, that is the personality of the main character of this book.
The Writing : The writing is abominable; I have rarely encountered writing so fantastically bad in my life. It took me about 15 minutes to read the motherfucking prologue because I had to go back and read some sentence roughly 5 times because I didn't (and still don't!) know what the fuck the sentence was trying to convey. I present you the example of one sentence within this book. Please tell me what the fuck this sentence is trying to say.
You will find many like this within this novel. Many sentences are roughly the length of a long, pointless, meandering paragraph. Why have a simple sentence when you can have sentences within sentences. Why walk from point A to point B when you can take a long meander to point C and F, and sit and smell the roses along the way. Who the FUCK edited this book?
And just for shits and giggles, here's another sentence. Let me clarify that this wall of text is ONE SENTENCE.
Elizabeth is disappointed in her daughter Anne (the future Queen Anne). Elizabeth contemplates killing her daughter at birth because she is so ugly.
I get it. Beauty is power. I understand the power that beauty holds, especially when you are a Tudor woman, when you are pretty much powerless on your own. Women did not hold positions of power. They rarely hold property. I understand that beauty is a weapon. But there is a difference between wielding beauty as a tool and pure shallowness. Elizabeth is shallow, she only thinks of things in terms of looks, she rarely THINKS. She is completely, utterly brainless. She does not plot, she does not scheme like other noblewomen did. Her only job is to spite her power-hungry husband by sleeping her way through the Tudor court. Elizabeth's dreams are tied between her legs and in her tits and the lovers she can entice. She is so utterly obsessed with her beauty. My beauty. My beauty. My beauty. Remember that phrase, it is oft-repeated throughout this book. This book is about Elizabeth and nobody else. She is so fucking full of it.
Elizabeth is a neglectful mother. She rarely acknowledges her children until they are fully grown. When her adult daughter, Mary, comes to her with a crisis, instead of comforting her...
She's pretty when she cries.
Pedophile Alert!: I think sexuality is healthy, I love lust.
But man, it's just fucking wrong for a 16-year old to be lusting about giving a 10-year old future King Henry VIII a blow job.
The Other Characters: Caricatures. Laughable cartoon caricatures. Everyone is an exaggerated version of themselves. The wicked are sniveling, parsimonious villains, the good are "whey-faced," and so simple they might as well be born mentally challenged.
The beloved (to me, at least) Anne Boleyn completely lacks any sort of complexity, Anne Boleyn is reduced to a hair-tossing cocktease.
Fuck this book. This is truly one of the worst books, not to mention the absolute worst and most inaccurate Historical novels I have ever read in my life.
Henry had a new love now. A fair and fragile lady who was everything my daughter wasn’t and never would be—soothing, still waters, a placid blue gazing pool, instead of turbulent, cascading, rapid waters, crashing waves, and strong currents; clear blue skies instead of darkness, thunder, torrential, cascading rain, and flashes of diamond-bright lightning.
I read so much bad YA fiction with terrible writing that I had completely forgotten how ferociously atrocious adult books can be.
The writing in this book is criminally bad. Appalling. I wonder how the fuck this book even got through an editor, or whether it has actually been skimmed by an editor at all. As readers, we often complain about purple prose, the prose in this book isn't so much purple as it is a violent, putrescent, vomit-inducing shade of fuchsia.
The main character is a bitch, a raging, narcissistic harpy of the highest order. Her pee should be bottled in Swarovski decanters and sold within the Hermès boutique in Paris. Her shit smells like the kiss of early morning dewdrops upon the buds of all the lavenders of Grasse in springtime.
This book is set in English Tudor era, it is the story of Elizabeth Boleyn, THE Anne Boleyn's mother. You might be fooled into thinking this is historical fiction, the compelling story of the mother of one of England's most memorable queens.
You'd be wrong. This book is roughly the equivalent of a Tudor Toddlers and Tiaras.
For those who are unfamiliar with US reality shows, Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality show about kids who participate in child pageants. More accurately, it's a portrait of parental failure. These pageant moms aren't...motherly so much as they are horrible bitchy, shallow harpies vicariously reliving their youth and casting their failed hope and dreams onto their daughters.
In a sentence, that is the personality of the main character of this book.
The Writing : The writing is abominable; I have rarely encountered writing so fantastically bad in my life. It took me about 15 minutes to read the motherfucking prologue because I had to go back and read some sentence roughly 5 times because I didn't (and still don't!) know what the fuck the sentence was trying to convey. I present you the example of one sentence within this book. Please tell me what the fuck this sentence is trying to say.
I would sit for hours and contemplate the graves where my lost children slept, resting in the protective, embracing shadow of a tall white marble cross, mounted on a little hillock, rising like a miracle, a resurrection, out of a dense mass of sweet white woodruff, planted all around with a small orchard of apple, cherry, plum, peach, pear, fig, and quince trees, my husband’s prized “Paradise Apples,” from which our cook baked his favorite pies and made quince jelly.This is from the first page of the book. It did not bode well for the rest of the story.
You will find many like this within this novel. Many sentences are roughly the length of a long, pointless, meandering paragraph. Why have a simple sentence when you can have sentences within sentences. Why walk from point A to point B when you can take a long meander to point C and F, and sit and smell the roses along the way. Who the FUCK edited this book?
And just for shits and giggles, here's another sentence. Let me clarify that this wall of text is ONE SENTENCE.
Doubtlessly when I die—and I think it shall be soon, as the poet Wyatt, who loved my daughter, so aptly said, “These bloody days have broken my heart,” and already I cough up blood—Thomas, my venerable and esteemed husband (Read those words with bitter, biting gall like a scorpion’s sting or a serpent’s deep-piercing fangs!), will send in the gardeners to restore order and beauty, the stately perfect precision of pruned boxwood hedges and intricate knot gardens like embroidery brought to life, all the expensive elegance he thinks befits him as every year takes him further and further away from his London shopkeeper origins.One Gesture: 20 Words
...I used to taunt him, adopting a haughty yet exaggeratedly, and, I hoped, maddeningly casual tone.How to Annihilate an Imagery
Welcome to my private Hell. Pass through the portal, the old sagging, groaning gate, twined with stinging nettle, not quaint, picturesque ivy; walk in amidst the thorns, thistles, and grasping blackberry brambles; chance the poison, if you dare, when a prick or a graze, a carelessly plucked leaf or nibbled berry, even a beautiful yellow flower, could be your own death knell; and gaze your fill upon the ugly, foul, festering fury that is the raging, bitter as gall and green wormwood, black and red soul of Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire.How To Maim a Metaphor
My future was decided, like a black velvet curtain being drawn over the bright sun.How to Crush a Contrast:
blood and snow, passion and purity, fire and ice, hell and heaven, sinner and saint, conquest and surrender, whore and virgin, the red dazzle of rubies and the nacreous lustrous shimmer of pearls, innocence born from a bloody womb, the blood is the life, the cold white marble of death—a tomb effigy; red roses for the blood of martyrs.How to Demolish Dialogue:
Anne cried, “Even dull, dirty ditch water can, under the right circumstances, cool and refresh a parched and thirsty throat or hot, flushed face!”Meet Elizabeth: She is beautiful.
I was born beautiful, with hair black as ebony, skin white as snow, eyes bewitching and dark, lips as luscious, red, and sweet as the ripest cherries.And as you can see, Elizabeth is more than a little full of herself. She feels the need to constantly remind us of her extreme beauty. She deserves everything good and wonderful in life because she is beautiful.
I deserved better than better; I deserved the best! How could life be so cruel and unkind to me when I was so beautiful?
Elizabeth is disappointed in her daughter Anne (the future Queen Anne). Elizabeth contemplates killing her daughter at birth because she is so ugly.
... it occurred to me that it really would be better, for all our sakes, if she were to die, as so many children did, in infancy. I just could not believe that something so ugly could have come out of someone so beautiful.Because it is just criminal for a beautiful mother to have such an ugly baby.
I get it. Beauty is power. I understand the power that beauty holds, especially when you are a Tudor woman, when you are pretty much powerless on your own. Women did not hold positions of power. They rarely hold property. I understand that beauty is a weapon. But there is a difference between wielding beauty as a tool and pure shallowness. Elizabeth is shallow, she only thinks of things in terms of looks, she rarely THINKS. She is completely, utterly brainless. She does not plot, she does not scheme like other noblewomen did. Her only job is to spite her power-hungry husband by sleeping her way through the Tudor court. Elizabeth's dreams are tied between her legs and in her tits and the lovers she can entice. She is so utterly obsessed with her beauty. My beauty. My beauty. My beauty. Remember that phrase, it is oft-repeated throughout this book. This book is about Elizabeth and nobody else. She is so fucking full of it.
But it was only my face as perfect as I saw it in my mirror each day. He had captured every line, every nuance, flawlessly. He had actually done justice to my beauty!
Elizabeth is a neglectful mother. She rarely acknowledges her children until they are fully grown. When her adult daughter, Mary, comes to her with a crisis, instead of comforting her...
Did I comfort, love, hold, and kiss her, and assure her that I, her mother, would love her no matter what? No. I did none of those things. I changed into a fresh nightgown, massaged a little rose-scented cream into my face to keep my skin supple and soft, blew out the candle, went to bed, and slept soundly.Yeah, there's the fucking mother of the year for you.
She's pretty when she cries.
What a strange and frightful sight I must have presented, this frenzied and crazed, weeping and wailing woman—my behavior at such a startling and sharp variance to my appearance, the epitome of courtly elegance and gracefully aging beauty arrayed in silver-braided black satin embroidered with fanciful swirls of silver acanthus leaves; ropes of pearls and a diamond collar to artfully conceal the sagging skin of my throat; diamonds on my fingers and at my breast; and a pearl-bordered black gable hood (before the veil caught, and it fell away and my silver-streaked black hair tumbled down to catch on and be torn out by the grasping thorns).
Pedophile Alert!: I think sexuality is healthy, I love lust.
But man, it's just fucking wrong for a 16-year old to be lusting about giving a 10-year old future King Henry VIII a blow job.
I imagined myself kneeling at his feet with my hair unbound and flowing over my naked breasts. Maybe he will take me over his knee and spank me, I thought. I sincerely hope so!Did I mention Henry is 10? HE IS 10!!!!
Though only ten, Prince Henry had such a way about him.That's just nasty, bitch.
The Other Characters: Caricatures. Laughable cartoon caricatures. Everyone is an exaggerated version of themselves. The wicked are sniveling, parsimonious villains, the good are "whey-faced," and so simple they might as well be born mentally challenged.
The beloved (to me, at least) Anne Boleyn completely lacks any sort of complexity, Anne Boleyn is reduced to a hair-tossing cocktease.
“I would rather remain barren than give birth to a bastard, even a royal one!” she said heatedly, tossing a black wave of hair back over her shoulder.Anne is childish, throwing tantrums.
Anne stamped her foot and tossed her black head, slinging her long hair like a whip.Anne is overdramatic, a flighty-headed bitch.
Anne stood straight before him, with only the banquet table between them, and, hands on hips, defiantly tossed back her braids, thrust her chin high, and proudly pronounced one emphatic word: “Beg!”This is hardly the kind of behavior I find credible.
Fuck this book. This is truly one of the worst books, not to mention the absolute worst and most inaccurate Historical novels I have ever read in my life.
February 25, 2014
This and my other reviews can be found at buildabookshelf.com Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for the advanced copy
Upon first appearances, one may think that The Boleyn Bride, would perhaps be about Anne Boleyn, the former Queen of England and definitely the most popular of all the Boleyn clan. But this isn't the case.
The prologue begins shortly after the murders of Anne and George Boleyn. It is presented from the perspective of their mother, Elizabeth Boleyn. She is furious that her own husband, as well as her brother, were participating judges when the guilty verdict was thrusted upon her son and daughter, resulting in their beheading.
Although she is at close proximity to death's door and barely has any energy to speak of, she sets out to her beautiful garden, where King Henry VIII once courted Anne. She wails (practically screaming) and sobs like a "madwoman" while uprooting every single living plant that was taking up residence there. This display of intense emotion is unusual for her, grieving or not, as she has always wore the facade of the dutiful Christian wife. She absolutely does not want any of its beauty exposed or living, for that matter, while her daughter is deceased.
"Every time I looked at that garden, I could see King Henry pursuing Anne like a relentless hunter stalking a deer, a fleet-footed doe with terror in her dark brown eyes..."
She also gives the reader a peak inside her torturous marriage to Thomas Boleyn (actually it was Bullen, the last name was changed for pretentious reasons). Thomas' loyalty was not to his family, but only for King Henry VIII, as his trusting and reliable courtier. It appears that Thomas manipulates every relationship he has in order to receive the good graces of the King.
Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn are outright enemies. To say that their marriage is a sham is undoubtedly an understatement. Their unfortunate marriage was an arrangement made by Thomas himself, her father, and her brother. As time passed, neither one of them felt a speck of affinity toward the other and it seemed that appearances were all that mattered to them both, his as having the beautiful wife and healthy children and hers being her beauty.
"I kept my end of the bargain and played my role to perfection; only once did Thomas ever have cause to complain of me...when I failed to become the King's mistress."
I found it unique to read a novel that is presented as a memoir of someone so fully conscious of their narcissism and arrogance. Normally if I don't like the main character, I would chuck the book without finishing it. Impressively, Elizabeth is presented in such a way that you sometimes overlook her terrible attributes: she's a horribly indifferent and absent mother, she is a bit too promiscuous (let's face it, she's a nymphomaniac at times), and she is so sure of herself and thinks herself to be incredibly beautiful and bewitching. Even with this horrible outlook, there is still something that pulls you in and makes you want to like her. I found myself pulling for her at times and hoping that she would change her perspective, but then she would always let me down (insert 'meh' face). I still held on curiously anticipating what took her from being a detached mother dearest, to pulling weeds out at the beginning of the book while grieving for her children, one of whom she thought of murdering when they were just a wee one.
Although the book opens with the setup for the ending, the first chapter introduces a 16-year-old Elizabeth at the height of her pride and arrogance. She was incredibly abusive to her childhood caretaker, Matilda. It seemed that poor Matilda never lived a peaceful day when in the presence of Elizabeth Boleyn.
"When Matilda tried to stop me, I turned on her, snarling like a savage beast, wielding the book I held like a weapon. I smashed her nose in with 'The English Housewife' and watched as she fell back with blood spurting from her red and flattened nose. I had broken it, but I didn't care; at that moment I had more important things on my mind."
She didn't spare her abuse only for the helpers. Her very own child, Anne, probably got an equal dose, at least of the mental abuse. And this is the one she was crying over after she was beheaded.
"Anne was the ugliest baby I had ever seen in my life. Shuddering, I thrust her from me in revulsion, slapping at the hideous wailing thing and the hands that tried to foist her onto me. "Take that hideous thing away!" I screamed. She was as ugly as my mother-in-law's monkey! I would not hold her; the thought of cradling her against my breast made me want to vomit."
I have such a hard time grasping the fact that someone would have so much disgust for their own child based mostly on her looks. As stated earlier, she went so far as wanting her dead.
"Once when Anne lay crying in her cradle and I sat beside her, contemplating her ugliness, it occurred to me that it really would be better, for all our sakes, if she were to die, as so many children did, in infancy. I just could not believe that something so ugly could have come out of someone so beautiful. I was embarrassed to have her near me and left her to the nursemaids' care whenever possible, to spare myself the pain of having others see the monstrosity I have given birth to and compare her with my other two beautiful children. I was ashamed to be Anne's mother."
With such an intense personality, it seems natural that she would fall in love with a commoner, who's personality was even keeled and somewhat shy. They would carry on a secret rendezvous that lasted a lifetime. I honestly feel, based on this novel, that it was her long time lover, Remi Jouet, that cools a little of the fire that burns inside of her (thank goodness!).
It's interesting to see the transformation of Elizabeth's personality along the course of her lifespan. Although she seems to always try just about any remedy to hold on to her youth and beauty, she eventually begins to accept that she will lose them both in due time. As she ages, she begins to release some of her arrogance and eventually realizes what a huge part her neglectfulness played in all of her children's lives. Unfortunately, it is her unwavering pride that won't allow her to reach out to her only surviving child, for she is too afraid of the rejection that could result in doing so. It is a relief to experience her slow change of acceptance as an unsupportive mother, but the feeling is spoiled when she ultimately lets pride hold her back from a possible relationship with Mary Boleyn. It makes me wonder if given the chance to do over with "her ugly duckling", would she actually become a better mother? I have a feeling that the answer would be 'no'.
In the end, although I was opposed to the idiosyncrasies portrayed by Elizabeth Boleyn, I had a strange affinity toward her. I will say that I am always impressed when a book can take a character with unlikeable traits and allow you to stay involved in the book in hopes that they overcome these terrible behaviors.
My only vice with this novel would be the repetitiveness of certain words and phrases. I don't know if it is just me, but I spot them easily and once they have been used more than three times (about the same thing), then it is just purely annoying. Other than that, I say this is an engaging read.
April 2, 2014
The Boleyn Bride is the story of Anne Boleyn as told through the eyes of her mother, Elizabeth Boleyn. Initially, this seemed like an interesting point of view as I could not recall ever hearing much about the mother of this doomed queen. In the tradition of Philippa Gregory and Jean Plaidy, the author manages to make this heroine(?) vain, insipid, and completely unlikable.
If you are a fan of Gregory, you will probably enjoy this book. It is the same sort of fluffy historical fiction with repetitive prose that is written by PG. The story of Henry VIII's Great Matter is successfully made boring and bland, something that must have been challenging.
Though I enjoyed seeing Anne, George, and Mary Boleyn through their mother's eyes, she was so self-absorbed and shallow that the reader hears much more about her long line of lovers than her famous children. She admits only after her children are lost to her that she failed as a mother and has lived a pointless life.
This book's most redeeming quality was the descriptions of scenery and clothing. I had no problem picturing English nobility dripping with jewels as they danced and flirted. It just wasn't enough to make up for things like sexual fantasies about 10 year old boys.
It was a quick, easy read, so if you're looking for something to give your mind a break from more substantial historical fiction this could be a fun romp through a pleasure-seeking woman's life at the Tudor court.
This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.
If you are a fan of Gregory, you will probably enjoy this book. It is the same sort of fluffy historical fiction with repetitive prose that is written by PG. The story of Henry VIII's Great Matter is successfully made boring and bland, something that must have been challenging.
Though I enjoyed seeing Anne, George, and Mary Boleyn through their mother's eyes, she was so self-absorbed and shallow that the reader hears much more about her long line of lovers than her famous children. She admits only after her children are lost to her that she failed as a mother and has lived a pointless life.
This book's most redeeming quality was the descriptions of scenery and clothing. I had no problem picturing English nobility dripping with jewels as they danced and flirted. It just wasn't enough to make up for things like sexual fantasies about 10 year old boys.
It was a quick, easy read, so if you're looking for something to give your mind a break from more substantial historical fiction this could be a fun romp through a pleasure-seeking woman's life at the Tudor court.
This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.
October 6, 2019
This book is an account of the life of Elizabeth Boleyn, who was the mother of George, Mary, and Anne Boleyn. It was interesting reading a story from her perspective. So little is known about Elizabeth since she was such a minor role in the story. It disappointed me at how shallow and indifferent she seemed. It was hard, if not impossible, to feel any sympathy for her character, and she seemed to have no redeeming qualities. That being said, it was still a somewhat enjoyable book.
May 23, 2019
Anne'yi zaten sevmiyordum sürekli konunun anne üzerinden intikam olması çok sıkıcıydı
September 5, 2017
I gave up on this one after about 20% read. I slogged through the prologue – which is all the mother of Anne and George and Mary Boleyn mourning her lost children (and musing on the fun and anatomical gifts of various of HER lovers…yeah, that was odd) and obsessively nattering on about all her thorny, spiky, poisonous gardening…Yeah, this one was hella weird pretty much from the get-go. But I hung on through chapter one in case the voice or style changed at some point. Annnnnnd not so much. I quit after about 20 pages of the 16 year old Elizabeth Howard obsessing about penises and going to court so men can adore her and trying to hook up with some random artist. This dreck is terrible. End of story (for me…be smarter than me and don’t even try this one).
November 21, 2013
I'm going to give this the full treatment in my blog like I've done for all of Brandy's previous books, but let me just say that I really, REALLY enjoyed this. It's a perfect ending to her Tudor series - it kind of encapsulates a little bit of each, but it's very much its own book. The voice is great, and on a persnickety note, there are way fewer italics. :p If you are a Brandy Purdy fan, you will love this. If you're not, I think you'll dig it anyway. [full disclosure: I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for a blog review.]
February 26, 2014
This review originally appeared on my blog, Leeanna.me.
==
I was drawn to THE BOLEYN BRIDE because while I have read many Tudor books, both fiction and non-fiction, I haven’t read anything about Elizabeth Boleyn, mother to Mary, George, and Anne. So I went into this book hoping to learn about her, as well as gain an understand of who Elizabeth was.
Purdy’s version of Elizabeth is not a sympathetic one. Elizabeth could aptly be described as a mean girl -- she’s gorgeous, the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the land, and thinks everyone is beneath her. She expects her father will make her a good marriage, to someone with power, money, and looks. So imagine her shock when she’s married off to a merchant and expected to be his broodmare. She flies into a rage, breaking her maid’s nose.
Elizabeth never gets over her anger at being married to Thomas Boleyn. Granted, Purdy’s view of him is not so nice either, and so I did feel sympathy for Elizabeth being forced to marry him and be used for nothing more than bearing his children. I also didn’t mind that Elizabeth wasn’t a nice woman -- she had numerous affairs and barely cared about her children until they were older and “interesting.” It was refreshing to see an outspoken woman who did what she wanted, using her position and husband’s absences to please herself.
My big problem with THE BOLEYN BRIDE was the author’s style. I felt like I was a spectator, as Elizabeth recounted events as if she were writing a memoir. Also, when sentences are twenty plus words long, my eyes tend to glaze over. A few longer sentences are fine, but there were so many of them in this book. I ended up feeling that the book was double the length it actually was. Lastly … whenever Elizabeth described her long-time lover, Remi Jouet, she called him “doughy,” like newly baked bread. Um, that doesn’t equate as sexy in my head.
THE BOLEYN BRIDE didn’t work for me because of the author’s writing style, and because after finishing, I don’t feel like I really know Elizabeth at all. Once Anne comes into the picture, and Henry starts chasing after her, the book switches to their story, with a little input from Elizabeth on how she felt about her daughter marrying the king and then Anne’s downfall. Basically, a standard Tudor historical fiction book.
==
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews:
==
I was drawn to THE BOLEYN BRIDE because while I have read many Tudor books, both fiction and non-fiction, I haven’t read anything about Elizabeth Boleyn, mother to Mary, George, and Anne. So I went into this book hoping to learn about her, as well as gain an understand of who Elizabeth was.
Purdy’s version of Elizabeth is not a sympathetic one. Elizabeth could aptly be described as a mean girl -- she’s gorgeous, the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the land, and thinks everyone is beneath her. She expects her father will make her a good marriage, to someone with power, money, and looks. So imagine her shock when she’s married off to a merchant and expected to be his broodmare. She flies into a rage, breaking her maid’s nose.
Elizabeth never gets over her anger at being married to Thomas Boleyn. Granted, Purdy’s view of him is not so nice either, and so I did feel sympathy for Elizabeth being forced to marry him and be used for nothing more than bearing his children. I also didn’t mind that Elizabeth wasn’t a nice woman -- she had numerous affairs and barely cared about her children until they were older and “interesting.” It was refreshing to see an outspoken woman who did what she wanted, using her position and husband’s absences to please herself.
My big problem with THE BOLEYN BRIDE was the author’s style. I felt like I was a spectator, as Elizabeth recounted events as if she were writing a memoir. Also, when sentences are twenty plus words long, my eyes tend to glaze over. A few longer sentences are fine, but there were so many of them in this book. I ended up feeling that the book was double the length it actually was. Lastly … whenever Elizabeth described her long-time lover, Remi Jouet, she called him “doughy,” like newly baked bread. Um, that doesn’t equate as sexy in my head.
THE BOLEYN BRIDE didn’t work for me because of the author’s writing style, and because after finishing, I don’t feel like I really know Elizabeth at all. Once Anne comes into the picture, and Henry starts chasing after her, the book switches to their story, with a little input from Elizabeth on how she felt about her daughter marrying the king and then Anne’s downfall. Basically, a standard Tudor historical fiction book.
==
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews:
June 6, 2014
Well, there's good historical fiction and then there's, umm, THE BOLEYN BRIDE. I have three main complaints:
1. An unlikeable main character, with historical inaccuracy
2. Writing style
3. Unbelievable dialog
MAIN CHARACTER: Elizabeth Boleyn (mother of Anne) is a haughty, self-centered, pleasure-seeking woman looking back on her life. She is completely unlikeable and her regrets over past actions don't ring true. As she relates the tale of her own life, and Anne's rise and fall, she is more concerned with her own assignations than with the fate of her children. According to Purdy, she has a doll maker as a longtime lover, though I've never read a thing linking the two of them. Deduct a point for historical inaccuracy.
WRITING STYLE: At times the book reads like soft porn.
He loved me hard and fast, rough and then exquisitely, achingly tender, and when he paused uncertainly and asked if he should withdraw without spending his seed, I grabbed his hair in two hard handfuls and yanked him back down to me and held him tight until he cried out my in ams --Elizabeth!- in a passion choked whisper. (pg. 108)
In many places, the sentences are so convoluted and/or awkwardly phrased in order to include completely unnecessary detail. Example:
As I sit upon a thorn-embraced bench that snatches like a greedy child at my already tattered black skirt and trailing mourning veils, with clinging burrs taking the place of ornamental buttons and embroidery serenely regarding my pernicious plants, sprawling in tangled, snarled, and matted masses across the graves and climbing the stone crosses and innocent fruit trees, I cannot help but marvel what a far cry it is from the neat and orderly beds of safe, fennel, mint, rosemary, thyme, basil, chamomile, dill, and rue in the walled garden behind the kitchen. (pg. 24)
I guess Purdy did a lot of research into plants and home remedies because paragraphs like the one above are everywhere. And there are way too many and equally detailed references to herbal concoctions throughout the novel.
UNBELIEVABLE DIALOG: Catharine of Aragon has a two page, one-sided dialog with Elizabeth Boleyn, in which she lays out the entire history of her 20 year marriage to Henry VIII, without a pause.
I picked this book up because I am a Tudor enthusiast and wanted to know more about Elizabeth Boleyn. But I simply didn't buy Purdy's portrayal of Elizabeth Boleyn. I cannot recommend this EVEN for the most die-hard lovers of Tudor England.
1. An unlikeable main character, with historical inaccuracy
2. Writing style
3. Unbelievable dialog
MAIN CHARACTER: Elizabeth Boleyn (mother of Anne) is a haughty, self-centered, pleasure-seeking woman looking back on her life. She is completely unlikeable and her regrets over past actions don't ring true. As she relates the tale of her own life, and Anne's rise and fall, she is more concerned with her own assignations than with the fate of her children. According to Purdy, she has a doll maker as a longtime lover, though I've never read a thing linking the two of them. Deduct a point for historical inaccuracy.
WRITING STYLE: At times the book reads like soft porn.
He loved me hard and fast, rough and then exquisitely, achingly tender, and when he paused uncertainly and asked if he should withdraw without spending his seed, I grabbed his hair in two hard handfuls and yanked him back down to me and held him tight until he cried out my in ams --Elizabeth!- in a passion choked whisper. (pg. 108)
In many places, the sentences are so convoluted and/or awkwardly phrased in order to include completely unnecessary detail. Example:
As I sit upon a thorn-embraced bench that snatches like a greedy child at my already tattered black skirt and trailing mourning veils, with clinging burrs taking the place of ornamental buttons and embroidery serenely regarding my pernicious plants, sprawling in tangled, snarled, and matted masses across the graves and climbing the stone crosses and innocent fruit trees, I cannot help but marvel what a far cry it is from the neat and orderly beds of safe, fennel, mint, rosemary, thyme, basil, chamomile, dill, and rue in the walled garden behind the kitchen. (pg. 24)
I guess Purdy did a lot of research into plants and home remedies because paragraphs like the one above are everywhere. And there are way too many and equally detailed references to herbal concoctions throughout the novel.
UNBELIEVABLE DIALOG: Catharine of Aragon has a two page, one-sided dialog with Elizabeth Boleyn, in which she lays out the entire history of her 20 year marriage to Henry VIII, without a pause.
I picked this book up because I am a Tudor enthusiast and wanted to know more about Elizabeth Boleyn. But I simply didn't buy Purdy's portrayal of Elizabeth Boleyn. I cannot recommend this EVEN for the most die-hard lovers of Tudor England.
February 5, 2014
“The Boleyn Bride” by Brandy Purdy was right up my alley when it comes to reading and reviewing. I read every book I can get my hands on that deals with Anne Boleyn or King Henry VIII! Ms. Purdy did not disappoint. Her writing style was fluid and descriptive, and it keeps the reader interested through the entire novel. I loved reading the author's perspective on what Anne Boleyn’s mother, Elizabeth Howard, was like during her life. In all of the books I’ve read about Anne, there has been barely a mention of her mother, since very little is known about her. Even though the author definitely used some creative license as to what she was really like, it was still interesting to read about what type of person she MIGHT have been.
While I definitely enjoyed reading the book, I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more about Anne Boleyn’s mother, Elizabeth Howard, and less about Anne’s rise and fall. I felt like the book was mostly Elizabeth (Anne's mother) telling the story of Anne and her brother George’s life, and less about what HER life was like. Occasionally she would narrate what was going on in her life, but it mostly dealt with her multitude of lovers! Also, there were a few historical inaccuracies that threw me off, but nothing more than what any other historical fiction writer throws in.
All in all I really enjoyed reading this novel. The time period this novel takes place in interests me more than any other era. Any lover of historical fiction, especially the Tudor era, will love this novel. I would definitely recommend it.
I give "The Boleyn Bride" a 4 out of 5 stars!
While I definitely enjoyed reading the book, I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more about Anne Boleyn’s mother, Elizabeth Howard, and less about Anne’s rise and fall. I felt like the book was mostly Elizabeth (Anne's mother) telling the story of Anne and her brother George’s life, and less about what HER life was like. Occasionally she would narrate what was going on in her life, but it mostly dealt with her multitude of lovers! Also, there were a few historical inaccuracies that threw me off, but nothing more than what any other historical fiction writer throws in.
All in all I really enjoyed reading this novel. The time period this novel takes place in interests me more than any other era. Any lover of historical fiction, especially the Tudor era, will love this novel. I would definitely recommend it.
I give "The Boleyn Bride" a 4 out of 5 stars!
February 17, 2014
Elizabeth Boleyn, nee Lady Elizabeth Howard, is best known as mother to Mary, Anne and George Boleyn. She married Thomas Boleyn around 1500 and was lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth of York and then to Catherine of Aragon when they were queens. She was reportedly a beautiful woman who was free with her sexual favors. Her favorite and long term lover was Remi Jouet, a doll maker that she met as a young girl.
This book takes the reader on the journey of the Boleyn's through the reign of King Henry VIII, the rise and the fall. The author did take some liberties in regards to Elizabeth due to the fact that there is so little written about her. She came from an influential family and married 'beneath' her and her husband Thomas is portrayed as an ambitious man who will stop at nothing to attain his goals, even to the point of not defending Anne and George when they are accused of the many made up charges. Elizabeth has always had contempt for Thomas and this just added to her hatred of her husband, even to the point of not wanting to be buried near him.
This telling of the Boleyns downfall is a different spin than any I had read before. It is always a pleasant change to read about lesser known figures in history and in particular the King's Private Matter. I love Brandy Purdy's style of writing, the descriptions of castles, gardens and other detail driven topics make for a wonderful read. A pleasure to read and I always look forward to her next book!!
I received a copy for review for a blog tour and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
This book takes the reader on the journey of the Boleyn's through the reign of King Henry VIII, the rise and the fall. The author did take some liberties in regards to Elizabeth due to the fact that there is so little written about her. She came from an influential family and married 'beneath' her and her husband Thomas is portrayed as an ambitious man who will stop at nothing to attain his goals, even to the point of not defending Anne and George when they are accused of the many made up charges. Elizabeth has always had contempt for Thomas and this just added to her hatred of her husband, even to the point of not wanting to be buried near him.
This telling of the Boleyns downfall is a different spin than any I had read before. It is always a pleasant change to read about lesser known figures in history and in particular the King's Private Matter. I love Brandy Purdy's style of writing, the descriptions of castles, gardens and other detail driven topics make for a wonderful read. A pleasure to read and I always look forward to her next book!!
I received a copy for review for a blog tour and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
March 6, 2014
THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
Naturally, one of my favorite genre, and I wasn't disappointed by reading this novel. Brandy Purdy has a stream of good books to choose from. All of them are excellent. She writes like a historian with the captivating tone of a storyteller. There are few who can really pull this off as well as she does. From the first paragraphs, I was caught in her web of intrigue and couldn't pull myself loose. This is a book you will thoroughly enjoy even if you think you've already read all about the Boleyns.
I can tell you, Ms Purdy has found a way to let you know you haven't!
This book is told mostly in narrative form. It made me feel I was sitting at the fireside of a castle with Elizabeth Boleyn and hearing her tales of her daughters' and her own life. It holds a new perspective on the famous Boleyn girls; yes, but it also gives us a perspective of the mother who raised them and often neglected them. It was mesmerizing. If you've always wondered as I have where they got their backbone, beauty and charm...this is a novel that explains much of that. We also see the seductions of men and the English court from another perspective.
Brandy Purdy writes with a veteran's hand. She is well-versed in the times, the settings and the nuances of the Tudor age. All this makes her story come to life. If you want to slip into a season of Tudor England, all you have to do is enter her book for a few hours and you're there.
I loved this novel! I think you who read historical fiction regularly will too.
Naturally, one of my favorite genre, and I wasn't disappointed by reading this novel. Brandy Purdy has a stream of good books to choose from. All of them are excellent. She writes like a historian with the captivating tone of a storyteller. There are few who can really pull this off as well as she does. From the first paragraphs, I was caught in her web of intrigue and couldn't pull myself loose. This is a book you will thoroughly enjoy even if you think you've already read all about the Boleyns.
I can tell you, Ms Purdy has found a way to let you know you haven't!
This book is told mostly in narrative form. It made me feel I was sitting at the fireside of a castle with Elizabeth Boleyn and hearing her tales of her daughters' and her own life. It holds a new perspective on the famous Boleyn girls; yes, but it also gives us a perspective of the mother who raised them and often neglected them. It was mesmerizing. If you've always wondered as I have where they got their backbone, beauty and charm...this is a novel that explains much of that. We also see the seductions of men and the English court from another perspective.
Brandy Purdy writes with a veteran's hand. She is well-versed in the times, the settings and the nuances of the Tudor age. All this makes her story come to life. If you want to slip into a season of Tudor England, all you have to do is enter her book for a few hours and you're there.
I loved this novel! I think you who read historical fiction regularly will too.
August 20, 2019
What is this book
February 22, 2014
NOTE: A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
Why do we find the Tudor era to be so fascinating? Particularly the stories revolving around Nan Bullen, who history remembers as Anne Boleyn? Anne of the thousand days. While this story is told through the eyes of Elizabeth Howard, Anne's mother, it is, to me, a story of Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth is a member of the powerful (in that era) Howard family. At sixteen, she is married to her brother's friend, Thomas Bullen, a man whose family was of a merchant background, but had pulled himself into the ranks of the nobility in Henry VII's time. In trying to rise above his family's low beginnings, he plays with the spelling of the family name, finally settling on Boleyn.
Neither Elizabeth or Thomas are sympathetic characters. In that era of arranged marriages amongst the nobles, it was rare that affection might be found between spouses. This was particularly true between the high born, cosseted daughter of the powerful Duke of Norfolk and the son of a tradesman she was matched with.
In this telling of Anne's story, neither of her parents are "good" parents. Elizabeth is neglectful. Thomas uses his children to advance his own agenda. This was the man who sat on a jury convicting his own children (Anne and her brother George) to death. Elizabeth lives much in her own world, bisecting rarely into her children's lives until they are adults. Anne's story is well known. It's very likely that this fictionalized Elizabeth was very like the actual woman - lady in waiting to a Queen, mother to a Queen consort, grandmother to yet another Queen. She is a self-centered woman, who doesn't find an interest in her children until they are too old to be interested in being mothered.
Where I felt this story fell short was that I learned nothing new about the era or about the Boleyn family that hadn't already been told elsewhere. There was very little like-able about Elizabeth. It's difficult to have a main character so entwined in the story of as well known a personage as Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth really gets lost in the background, even in being the main character. Whether it's a matter of too much detail or too little detail, Goldilocks would tell you this just doesn't hit the spot.
Why do we find the Tudor era to be so fascinating? Particularly the stories revolving around Nan Bullen, who history remembers as Anne Boleyn? Anne of the thousand days. While this story is told through the eyes of Elizabeth Howard, Anne's mother, it is, to me, a story of Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth is a member of the powerful (in that era) Howard family. At sixteen, she is married to her brother's friend, Thomas Bullen, a man whose family was of a merchant background, but had pulled himself into the ranks of the nobility in Henry VII's time. In trying to rise above his family's low beginnings, he plays with the spelling of the family name, finally settling on Boleyn.
Neither Elizabeth or Thomas are sympathetic characters. In that era of arranged marriages amongst the nobles, it was rare that affection might be found between spouses. This was particularly true between the high born, cosseted daughter of the powerful Duke of Norfolk and the son of a tradesman she was matched with.
In this telling of Anne's story, neither of her parents are "good" parents. Elizabeth is neglectful. Thomas uses his children to advance his own agenda. This was the man who sat on a jury convicting his own children (Anne and her brother George) to death. Elizabeth lives much in her own world, bisecting rarely into her children's lives until they are adults. Anne's story is well known. It's very likely that this fictionalized Elizabeth was very like the actual woman - lady in waiting to a Queen, mother to a Queen consort, grandmother to yet another Queen. She is a self-centered woman, who doesn't find an interest in her children until they are too old to be interested in being mothered.
Where I felt this story fell short was that I learned nothing new about the era or about the Boleyn family that hadn't already been told elsewhere. There was very little like-able about Elizabeth. It's difficult to have a main character so entwined in the story of as well known a personage as Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth really gets lost in the background, even in being the main character. Whether it's a matter of too much detail or too little detail, Goldilocks would tell you this just doesn't hit the spot.
March 11, 2014
Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Tudors and the families who brushed elbows with them, Brandy Purdy comes out with The Boleyn Bride, which brings us the life of Elizabeth Howard who became Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of the infamous Anne Boleyn. And what a tale she weaves.
Elizabeth is portrayed here as a vain and promiscuous woman and yet, one cannot help but root for her. Thrust into a life and marriage she did not want and forced to accept her fate demurely and obediently, which was what was expected of women of the time, she nonetheless goes after what she wants in her own way and lives the life she wants to live, albeit in secret. By this, I mean the taking of many lovers which surprisingly, in this tale, did not include king Henry VIII which has always been rumored in the annals of history. Her chief reason for not taking king Henry to her bed is what makes her an admirable character in my eyes. Despite her faults, she is capable of good and, in the end, she admits to the guilt of her hand in the demise of her precious son and daughter, George and Anne.
It has been some time since I've been so captivated by a Tudor based historical novel. I have to admit to being somewhat burned out by the over saturation of the Tudors since the cable television series brought them to the mainstream and the forefront of people's minds. However, The Boleyn Bride has renewed my interest. This book was truly an unputdownable read for me. I highly recommend it.
Elizabeth is portrayed here as a vain and promiscuous woman and yet, one cannot help but root for her. Thrust into a life and marriage she did not want and forced to accept her fate demurely and obediently, which was what was expected of women of the time, she nonetheless goes after what she wants in her own way and lives the life she wants to live, albeit in secret. By this, I mean the taking of many lovers which surprisingly, in this tale, did not include king Henry VIII which has always been rumored in the annals of history. Her chief reason for not taking king Henry to her bed is what makes her an admirable character in my eyes. Despite her faults, she is capable of good and, in the end, she admits to the guilt of her hand in the demise of her precious son and daughter, George and Anne.
It has been some time since I've been so captivated by a Tudor based historical novel. I have to admit to being somewhat burned out by the over saturation of the Tudors since the cable television series brought them to the mainstream and the forefront of people's minds. However, The Boleyn Bride has renewed my interest. This book was truly an unputdownable read for me. I highly recommend it.
April 23, 2015
Decent. Not bad. All I can muster up is faint praise because there's very little that is new to offer about The Boleyn Bride.
December 2, 2019
This book narrated by Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire and Ann Boleyn’s mother, tells the story of Ann Boleyn’s parents’ family backgrounds, her siblings, and her relationship with King Henry VIII. Although the book is beautifully written, I was afraid of getting bored with reading pages of pages of narration about relationships and feelings, but I was not since the book is well-paced and descriptive with interesting content. I plan on reading more book by this talented author.
May 21, 2017
I only persisted in reading this because it fills a gap in my Tudor history reading--the perspective of Anne Boleyn's mother.
Otherwise, it was ghastly. I could not muster ANY liking for her--she was horrendously written: spoiled, shallow, whiny, insincere...just awful.
Couple that with Purdy's historical inaccuracies and horrible writing.
Just no.
Otherwise, it was ghastly. I could not muster ANY liking for her--she was horrendously written: spoiled, shallow, whiny, insincere...just awful.
Couple that with Purdy's historical inaccuracies and horrible writing.
Just no.
October 26, 2017
this book was just...not good. The writing was so hard to get through and it read more like a (bad) Phillipa Gregory fanfiction than a real, well-researched historical fiction novel. I think the author could have really had something here, but honestly, I couldn't get past the bad dialogue and tell-not-show narrative.
November 13, 2019
I love reading about the Tudor era. The book tells of Anne, Mary and George's mother. How her family moved up in the status thanks to her daughters. Her husband didn't love her. To him she was a woman to bare his children. He plot and scheme to get the King Henry VIII to fall for his daughters. He had no remorse for what happen to his wife or kids.
February 10, 2024
I read many bad reviews for this book but I guess I am different, I enjoyed reading for the most part -a story told as her mother saw things - Some of the doings were really outrageous for that time period - the story held my interest until the end.
April 1, 2024
I had finished reading *The Boleyn Bride* and this has to be one of the most unsympathetical depictions of Anne Boleyn I had ever read and that's saying something considering I had read Philippa Gregory's *The Other Boleyn Girl*.
February 14, 2014
16 year old Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon. But things don't quite go to plan for Elizabeth, she's forced by her father to marry the repulsive Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner. Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises her children; golden girl Mary, moody George, and her ugly duckling Anne, only seeing her husband when he comes back to conceive another child, although all end in death for the often unborn babies. Elizabeth staves off boredom with a string of admirers, that is, until Henry VIII takes to the throne...
Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, and Elizabeth uses the opportunity to indulge in lavish diversions and dalliances.....and catches the Kings eye. As Elizabeth becomes close to Catherine, she watches as the Queen loses favour ever more, and her daughters Mary and Anne catch the Kings eye. One more powerfully than the other. Those who enjoy Henry's favour, must always guard against his fickle nature, and his wrath. While Elizabeth's husband's machinations bring her children to the pinnacle of power, and Elizabeth herself, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one....and the Boleyn family's fortune may be turning, no one woman can keep the King's attention for long...
This was utterly fascinating to me, seeing things from Anne's mother's point of view, my heart broke more than once, especially when Elizabeth debates killing Anne as she's ugly, and George takes her to his room to look after, and they form a bond, that would end up being their undoing. I loved seeing Anne's relationship with her brother who was essentially her best friend, I just find it so sad that a beautiful relationship between two loving siblings was twisted to result in their deaths.
I knew next to nothing about Elizabeth Howard when I started reading this book, which is what intrigued me about it, and I learned quite a lot about her while reading the book. The historical facts where woven in with the storyline, not written over pages as background. The facts where quite casually slipped in to narrative or dialogue. I was very intrigued that she was lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine, and I admired her loyalty to her Queen and what I'm interpreting as her friend. She resisted the King's charms and comforted Catherine after each fresh blow to her.
To me the story really came alive, I was fully with the characters in the Court, and entirely caught up in the drama, politics and treachery. I already had more than a passing knowledge of the time, living 10 minutes from Hampton Court Palace means I've been on quite a few trips there, and I'm an avid Tudors fan.
Purdy's writing style is quite similar to Phillipa Gregory's, but better. Gregory always has a certain bias towards certain characters that cannot be overlooked. While this is from a mother's point of view, I did feel such sympathy towards Anne, and I did dislike Jane, but at the same time, you couldn't really refuse the King if you wanted to keep your head. It is obvious, however, that any biases towards characters in this book, aren't the author's they are from Elizabeth's thoughts and feelings. The hatred felt for her husband was almost alive in the way it blared off the page, and you can't really blame Elizabeth for her hatred.
The writing was truly beautiful, it was emotional to read, especially Elizabeth's reaction to the news of her children's death. Everyone forgets sometimes that Anne was someone's daughter, and while her father was horrendous, her mother lost her two children to politics and lies, and this brings home that aspect of the well known story. I also felt we saw another side of Anne, her friendship with George specifically, and how terrified she must have been, and desperate to keep the King's favour.
The narrative is voiced in a very jaded way. There's a lot of harsh realities of life at the time that are brought in to the light, meaning the book doesn't romanticize the time like a lot of other's do. We're reminded it wasn't a nice time to life, and women had to essentially do as their told, and marry who they're told. Elizabeth is quite candid about her bad behaviour, and while she initially comes across as unlikable, her acknowledgement of her faults made her more of a better person to me.
The character of Remi, Elizabeth's lover intrigued me, especially as at the end in the author's notes we see he was a real person. I did feel however, that his was the only character not very fleshed out, he had no personality and nothing to input in the many repetitive meetings between himself and Elizabeth. I'd have liked for him to have been written with more depth.
I think The Boleyn Bride was a refreshing, and sometimes harshly realistic retelling of the classic story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, we see a different perspective, beautifully written and intriguing that engages you until the end, and provides you with knowledge you don't previously know.
Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, and Elizabeth uses the opportunity to indulge in lavish diversions and dalliances.....and catches the Kings eye. As Elizabeth becomes close to Catherine, she watches as the Queen loses favour ever more, and her daughters Mary and Anne catch the Kings eye. One more powerfully than the other. Those who enjoy Henry's favour, must always guard against his fickle nature, and his wrath. While Elizabeth's husband's machinations bring her children to the pinnacle of power, and Elizabeth herself, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one....and the Boleyn family's fortune may be turning, no one woman can keep the King's attention for long...
This was utterly fascinating to me, seeing things from Anne's mother's point of view, my heart broke more than once, especially when Elizabeth debates killing Anne as she's ugly, and George takes her to his room to look after, and they form a bond, that would end up being their undoing. I loved seeing Anne's relationship with her brother who was essentially her best friend, I just find it so sad that a beautiful relationship between two loving siblings was twisted to result in their deaths.
I knew next to nothing about Elizabeth Howard when I started reading this book, which is what intrigued me about it, and I learned quite a lot about her while reading the book. The historical facts where woven in with the storyline, not written over pages as background. The facts where quite casually slipped in to narrative or dialogue. I was very intrigued that she was lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine, and I admired her loyalty to her Queen and what I'm interpreting as her friend. She resisted the King's charms and comforted Catherine after each fresh blow to her.
To me the story really came alive, I was fully with the characters in the Court, and entirely caught up in the drama, politics and treachery. I already had more than a passing knowledge of the time, living 10 minutes from Hampton Court Palace means I've been on quite a few trips there, and I'm an avid Tudors fan.
Purdy's writing style is quite similar to Phillipa Gregory's, but better. Gregory always has a certain bias towards certain characters that cannot be overlooked. While this is from a mother's point of view, I did feel such sympathy towards Anne, and I did dislike Jane, but at the same time, you couldn't really refuse the King if you wanted to keep your head. It is obvious, however, that any biases towards characters in this book, aren't the author's they are from Elizabeth's thoughts and feelings. The hatred felt for her husband was almost alive in the way it blared off the page, and you can't really blame Elizabeth for her hatred.
The writing was truly beautiful, it was emotional to read, especially Elizabeth's reaction to the news of her children's death. Everyone forgets sometimes that Anne was someone's daughter, and while her father was horrendous, her mother lost her two children to politics and lies, and this brings home that aspect of the well known story. I also felt we saw another side of Anne, her friendship with George specifically, and how terrified she must have been, and desperate to keep the King's favour.
The narrative is voiced in a very jaded way. There's a lot of harsh realities of life at the time that are brought in to the light, meaning the book doesn't romanticize the time like a lot of other's do. We're reminded it wasn't a nice time to life, and women had to essentially do as their told, and marry who they're told. Elizabeth is quite candid about her bad behaviour, and while she initially comes across as unlikable, her acknowledgement of her faults made her more of a better person to me.
The character of Remi, Elizabeth's lover intrigued me, especially as at the end in the author's notes we see he was a real person. I did feel however, that his was the only character not very fleshed out, he had no personality and nothing to input in the many repetitive meetings between himself and Elizabeth. I'd have liked for him to have been written with more depth.
I think The Boleyn Bride was a refreshing, and sometimes harshly realistic retelling of the classic story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, we see a different perspective, beautifully written and intriguing that engages you until the end, and provides you with knowledge you don't previously know.
May 20, 2017
Loved this book
December 4, 2017
After 100 pages i gave up, i am shocked i got to 100 pages. The writing is dull and seems to never end.
February 16, 2023
tarihi kurguya bayılan ve özellikle tudor dönemine meraklı birisi olarak kitabı yalayıp yuttum
as someone who loves historical fiction and tudor period,ı ate it.
as someone who loves historical fiction and tudor period,ı ate it.
March 4, 2014
Brandy Purdy is always a difficult author in which to write proper reviews for in regards to her books and the readers I may be talking to in giving one. All authors and readers are different. What one might like, one might not, so I will do my best to give an accurate review so that no matter what your reading likes are, you'll understand if it is for you or not. I like Purdy's books, but I know some don't, so take my review and make your own decisions.
That said, Purdy's newest book in her string of Tudor era novels published by Kensington books, is The Boleyn Bride. She always has gorgeous coves and those pull readers of regency and Tudor era fiction quickly in. As well, the content of this book is enticing as it tells a story through the young Elizabeth Howard (cousin to the family of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII), who as a teen marries Thomas Boleyn, and takes us on their journey as they eventually win the King's favor and their daughter, the infamous Anne Boleyn becomes the second wife of Henry VIII. The book completes Elizabeth's life from start to end, so it captures Anne and her brother and sister as they were growing up and of course through Anne and George's deaths as well.
But when I read Purdy, I go in knowing that it probably isn't based on hours of research to garner innumerable facts in which to educate readers on history. There is nothing wrong with her writing fantastical historical fiction though, you just have to put your mind to it when reading the book. If you want it spot on in regards to learning true history, you aren't going to get that. And that's fine, read it for a few hours of spoiled pleasure in which you immerse yourself in a made-up story based on real life scandals and scoundrels and women who make strange choices in the name of power and wealth.
As stated, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, mother of George, Mary, and Anne Boleyn is the title and main character to the story. There aren't a great amount of novels written surrounding her. Purdy is always very good about writing characters who are left behind from the Tudor realm and bring them to our attention. Her books always seem to make everyone, including me, want to search for more information surrounding her main characters and that is sometimes where her review troubles begin, since depending where they look they find her information inaccurate. Remember, readers, she is providing an entertaining story, not writing a textbook. The positive point here is that she does incite us to learn more, no matter what that more may be.
Though Elizabeth isn't the greatest person, Purdy writes these types best. She lets us appreciate the horrid and vile nature that some of the women in history had. The mothers or the third cousins or the third daughter, or whatever the case, she brings this disgruntled person to our mind. This makes her novels sometimes melancholy, sad, and dark. But we all know we WANT to read about these characters. We want to know what makes their children or family tick and that includes their surrounding family members. We all like gossip and drama and Purdy provides this yet again in The Boleyn Bride.
Her writing style is unique; it's dry yet it moves you to read it. It's heavy, as her sentences are lengthy with description and sometimes redundancies. Sometimes they can be run-ons, but they have so much meaning and imagery sometimes, I don't care. Her humor is sometimes strange for an average reader. However, we are sometimes swept away by her details and her sentences can be savored for their detail. She offers emotion in her books and we can feel the loss, remorse, anger, hatred, and all those raw feelings that must be attributed to this time period when women were treated so poorly and they became bitter. Her portrayal of Elizabeth was as quite a hateful person yet she made Anne's character a bit better than most portray her. That was interesting to me.
She writes as I feel the letters or journals of these historical characters would write during their time periods. This novel is supposed to be Elizabeth's memoir to her daughter, Mary. I feel as if I have stepped inside history and can feel her pain and regret within this book. She writes of the dark emotions of this dramatic period, without having to turn it supernatural or eerie, and takes on depth with her characters creating an atmosphere of brooding realities. She's brave to write in such a way. But the book is a juicy, dark, and intense read that I'd recommend for anyone who has always wanted to peek into the damp corners of the historical nobility. I'd highly recommend this for readers who like Philippa Gregory's plots and writing style and want a new character within the Howard/Boleyn family to brood over.
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
That said, Purdy's newest book in her string of Tudor era novels published by Kensington books, is The Boleyn Bride. She always has gorgeous coves and those pull readers of regency and Tudor era fiction quickly in. As well, the content of this book is enticing as it tells a story through the young Elizabeth Howard (cousin to the family of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII), who as a teen marries Thomas Boleyn, and takes us on their journey as they eventually win the King's favor and their daughter, the infamous Anne Boleyn becomes the second wife of Henry VIII. The book completes Elizabeth's life from start to end, so it captures Anne and her brother and sister as they were growing up and of course through Anne and George's deaths as well.
But when I read Purdy, I go in knowing that it probably isn't based on hours of research to garner innumerable facts in which to educate readers on history. There is nothing wrong with her writing fantastical historical fiction though, you just have to put your mind to it when reading the book. If you want it spot on in regards to learning true history, you aren't going to get that. And that's fine, read it for a few hours of spoiled pleasure in which you immerse yourself in a made-up story based on real life scandals and scoundrels and women who make strange choices in the name of power and wealth.
As stated, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, mother of George, Mary, and Anne Boleyn is the title and main character to the story. There aren't a great amount of novels written surrounding her. Purdy is always very good about writing characters who are left behind from the Tudor realm and bring them to our attention. Her books always seem to make everyone, including me, want to search for more information surrounding her main characters and that is sometimes where her review troubles begin, since depending where they look they find her information inaccurate. Remember, readers, she is providing an entertaining story, not writing a textbook. The positive point here is that she does incite us to learn more, no matter what that more may be.
Though Elizabeth isn't the greatest person, Purdy writes these types best. She lets us appreciate the horrid and vile nature that some of the women in history had. The mothers or the third cousins or the third daughter, or whatever the case, she brings this disgruntled person to our mind. This makes her novels sometimes melancholy, sad, and dark. But we all know we WANT to read about these characters. We want to know what makes their children or family tick and that includes their surrounding family members. We all like gossip and drama and Purdy provides this yet again in The Boleyn Bride.
Her writing style is unique; it's dry yet it moves you to read it. It's heavy, as her sentences are lengthy with description and sometimes redundancies. Sometimes they can be run-ons, but they have so much meaning and imagery sometimes, I don't care. Her humor is sometimes strange for an average reader. However, we are sometimes swept away by her details and her sentences can be savored for their detail. She offers emotion in her books and we can feel the loss, remorse, anger, hatred, and all those raw feelings that must be attributed to this time period when women were treated so poorly and they became bitter. Her portrayal of Elizabeth was as quite a hateful person yet she made Anne's character a bit better than most portray her. That was interesting to me.
She writes as I feel the letters or journals of these historical characters would write during their time periods. This novel is supposed to be Elizabeth's memoir to her daughter, Mary. I feel as if I have stepped inside history and can feel her pain and regret within this book. She writes of the dark emotions of this dramatic period, without having to turn it supernatural or eerie, and takes on depth with her characters creating an atmosphere of brooding realities. She's brave to write in such a way. But the book is a juicy, dark, and intense read that I'd recommend for anyone who has always wanted to peek into the damp corners of the historical nobility. I'd highly recommend this for readers who like Philippa Gregory's plots and writing style and want a new character within the Howard/Boleyn family to brood over.
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
March 15, 2017
Very good. Very interesting perspective on life at court from Anne's mother.
February 27, 2014
My thoughts on The Boleyn Bride will be presented a bit differently in this review. Because there were a number of things I disliked and some I liked, I have decided the easiest way to share these with you is by way of a list of each.
Liked:
I love any book centering around this time period, one filled with Boleyns, Henry VIII and others in his court, and the general history filling out the story being told. I enjoy learning history via historical novels where the research is accurate.
Brandy Purdy is one of those historical authors who has done her research well. I appreciated the time and effort that goes into doing this.
As a memoir writer, I also enjoyed hearing the story of the Boleyn children -- Mary, George, and Anne -- as told by their mother, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn. It is a very different approach to historical fiction and reflects not only on the court and its members but also on Elizabeth's life as well. I found this very effective.
Disliked:
A 26-page prologue which seems as though it will never end. Much of what is in the prologue could have been simply worked into the rest of the book. The prologue dampened my enthusiasm for the book rather than tempting me to want to read more.
The myth of the changing last name of Thomas Boleyn through variations of Bullen and a long list of others is, in my opinion, overused here. Typically, in Elizabeth's dialogue or thoughts, she refers to him as "Thomas Bullen -- I mean Boleyn!" Other references are made to her name for him applicable to his sexual ability, or lack thereof. Here she calls him " Thomas Bull-In." One or two such references for each variation would have been enough. I got the hint that she despised him the first time.
Brandy Purdy has a grasp of language and words which is amazing. However, many times in her attempt to describe a scene for her reader the sentence becomes too long, filled with too many adjectives, and a lack of breathing room:
"That night she rewarded Henry by giving him 'a little taste--a foretaste--of heaven." She led him into her bed--a fat white feather bed covered in quilted white satin, hung with white lace curtains, like a tantalizing veil, where she lay, a black-haired angel in alluring, clinging white satin, whilst in each corner, blindfolded, white-winged and gilt-haloed harpists played, and I sat, unsmilingly, doing a mother's duty and acting as my daughter's chaperone, in a straight-backed gilded chair outside her open bedchamber door."
Although I have read many historical novels on Anne Boleyn and her life at court during King Henry VIII's reign, I was disappointed to find that Purdy dismisses the drama leading up to and including the trial for Anne, George and their friends. Suddenly they are whisked away and very little said about the trial. And then they are dead.
Elizabeth is presented as a rather complex character and not a great image of motherhood. However, I would have liked to have known more about her impressions of the lifestyle she lived at court, the happenings inside the Queen's chambers, more about who Elizabeth was as a woman.
My Recommendation:
Despite my opinion and lists of likes and dislikes, some have praised The Boleyn Bride and others have had similar concerns with it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Boleyn Bride from the publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
Liked:
I love any book centering around this time period, one filled with Boleyns, Henry VIII and others in his court, and the general history filling out the story being told. I enjoy learning history via historical novels where the research is accurate.
Brandy Purdy is one of those historical authors who has done her research well. I appreciated the time and effort that goes into doing this.
As a memoir writer, I also enjoyed hearing the story of the Boleyn children -- Mary, George, and Anne -- as told by their mother, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn. It is a very different approach to historical fiction and reflects not only on the court and its members but also on Elizabeth's life as well. I found this very effective.
Disliked:
A 26-page prologue which seems as though it will never end. Much of what is in the prologue could have been simply worked into the rest of the book. The prologue dampened my enthusiasm for the book rather than tempting me to want to read more.
The myth of the changing last name of Thomas Boleyn through variations of Bullen and a long list of others is, in my opinion, overused here. Typically, in Elizabeth's dialogue or thoughts, she refers to him as "Thomas Bullen -- I mean Boleyn!" Other references are made to her name for him applicable to his sexual ability, or lack thereof. Here she calls him " Thomas Bull-In." One or two such references for each variation would have been enough. I got the hint that she despised him the first time.
Brandy Purdy has a grasp of language and words which is amazing. However, many times in her attempt to describe a scene for her reader the sentence becomes too long, filled with too many adjectives, and a lack of breathing room:
"That night she rewarded Henry by giving him 'a little taste--a foretaste--of heaven." She led him into her bed--a fat white feather bed covered in quilted white satin, hung with white lace curtains, like a tantalizing veil, where she lay, a black-haired angel in alluring, clinging white satin, whilst in each corner, blindfolded, white-winged and gilt-haloed harpists played, and I sat, unsmilingly, doing a mother's duty and acting as my daughter's chaperone, in a straight-backed gilded chair outside her open bedchamber door."
Although I have read many historical novels on Anne Boleyn and her life at court during King Henry VIII's reign, I was disappointed to find that Purdy dismisses the drama leading up to and including the trial for Anne, George and their friends. Suddenly they are whisked away and very little said about the trial. And then they are dead.
Elizabeth is presented as a rather complex character and not a great image of motherhood. However, I would have liked to have known more about her impressions of the lifestyle she lived at court, the happenings inside the Queen's chambers, more about who Elizabeth was as a woman.
My Recommendation:
Despite my opinion and lists of likes and dislikes, some have praised The Boleyn Bride and others have had similar concerns with it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Boleyn Bride from the publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
March 15, 2014
I have to admit I have long wondered about the mother of my dearest Queen Anne Boleyn, the marvelously elusive, Elizabeth Boleyn, sister of The Duke of Norfolk, wife of Thomas Boleyn, mother to Mary, Anne and George and grandmother of Elizabeth I. I was beyond thrilled to see that Brandy Purdy had taken on the exploration of this pivotal and often overlooked Tudor woman. I am amazed how many novels have written Elizabeth Boleyn off completely, replacing her with a step mother, fondly referred to by one as Lady Bo, rather than dive into the deep end, as Purdy has done, and truly explored the maternal nature and character of the mother of one of England's most famous, and sadly most notorious, queens.
Brandy Purdy presents the character of Elizabeth Boleyn in her latest novel, The Boleyn Bride, as a complex woman. A volatile mix of pride and beauty living a life of negligent self-indulgence, disappointment and ultimately bitter loss and self-blame. We meet Elizabeth at the end of her life, full of bitter remorse for her own lost life, once so full of pride and promise, as she mourns the loss of two children and the hope of ever being a mother to the third. She is a woman full of loathing and regret for what might have been and embitterment for not only herself but even more so for the father of her children, Thomas Boleyn, the man she was forced to marry and never liked, much less loved.
As an avid reader of historical fiction and during my graduate studies in history I have always been confounded by the marriage of Elizabeth, beloved daughter of The Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Boleyn. One would expect the daughter of one of England's foremost peers to marry well, perhaps royally well, and yet here we have Elizabeth, a beautiful and vivacious young woman, living at the Tudor court as maid of honor to the Queen, wedded to Thomas Boleyn. At first glance one assumes it must have been one of the rare love matches of the time, but something about that just never sat well with me. That being said, I can neither comprehend why Norfolk was persuaded, indebted to or coerced into the arrangement of the marriage. Perhaps the reason is lost to time, but it certainly provides fodder for the novelist!
Brandy Purdy gives us Elizabeth forced to marry Thomas Bullen, her spite filled name nickname for her unwanted, unloved and ultimately despised spouse. Thomas goes so far as to encourage his wife to become mistress to King Henry, but Elizabeth denies him, out of devotion for Queen Catherine and a touch of spite. Rather, Purdy gives us the character of Remi Jouet, as the man who becomes the true lifelong love for Elizabeth. Remi Jouet is a man of whom I have never heard mentioned nor of whom I could find any evidence, but Purdy does note in Postscript, that Remi Jouet, was indeed a doll maker, a skilled artisan, whose few remaining creations can be found today in museums and private collections. I was completely perplexed by the relationship of Elizabeth and Remi and as I read truly thought he was a fictional insertion by Purdy until reading the postscript. Amazing, truly and to Purdy I raise a toast for her amazingly complex and skillfully crafted novel giving historical fiction readers a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth, mother and grandmother of Queens.
Brandy Purdy presents the character of Elizabeth Boleyn in her latest novel, The Boleyn Bride, as a complex woman. A volatile mix of pride and beauty living a life of negligent self-indulgence, disappointment and ultimately bitter loss and self-blame. We meet Elizabeth at the end of her life, full of bitter remorse for her own lost life, once so full of pride and promise, as she mourns the loss of two children and the hope of ever being a mother to the third. She is a woman full of loathing and regret for what might have been and embitterment for not only herself but even more so for the father of her children, Thomas Boleyn, the man she was forced to marry and never liked, much less loved.
As an avid reader of historical fiction and during my graduate studies in history I have always been confounded by the marriage of Elizabeth, beloved daughter of The Duke of Norfolk, to Thomas Boleyn. One would expect the daughter of one of England's foremost peers to marry well, perhaps royally well, and yet here we have Elizabeth, a beautiful and vivacious young woman, living at the Tudor court as maid of honor to the Queen, wedded to Thomas Boleyn. At first glance one assumes it must have been one of the rare love matches of the time, but something about that just never sat well with me. That being said, I can neither comprehend why Norfolk was persuaded, indebted to or coerced into the arrangement of the marriage. Perhaps the reason is lost to time, but it certainly provides fodder for the novelist!
Brandy Purdy gives us Elizabeth forced to marry Thomas Bullen, her spite filled name nickname for her unwanted, unloved and ultimately despised spouse. Thomas goes so far as to encourage his wife to become mistress to King Henry, but Elizabeth denies him, out of devotion for Queen Catherine and a touch of spite. Rather, Purdy gives us the character of Remi Jouet, as the man who becomes the true lifelong love for Elizabeth. Remi Jouet is a man of whom I have never heard mentioned nor of whom I could find any evidence, but Purdy does note in Postscript, that Remi Jouet, was indeed a doll maker, a skilled artisan, whose few remaining creations can be found today in museums and private collections. I was completely perplexed by the relationship of Elizabeth and Remi and as I read truly thought he was a fictional insertion by Purdy until reading the postscript. Amazing, truly and to Purdy I raise a toast for her amazingly complex and skillfully crafted novel giving historical fiction readers a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth, mother and grandmother of Queens.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews